Herons have that wonderful stillness — a bird that can stand motionless in shallow water and then strike like lightning. Capturing that elegance in a single sheet of paper is what this origami heron is all about. With its slim neck, folded wings, and spindly legs, it looks far harder to fold than it actually is.

Work slowly, let the photos guide you, and before long you’ll have a graceful paper wader standing on its own. Let’s fold one.

STEP 1.

Take a square sheet of paper, fold it in half diagonally to make a crease and unfold.

STEP 2.

Fold the paper along the other diagonal and unfold.

STEP 3.

Turn the paper over.

STEP 4.

Fold the paper in half downward and unfold.

STEP 5.

Fold the paper in half sideways and unfold.

STEP 6.

Fold downward along the creases you made.

STEP 7.

Fold the bottom side edges to meet the center line.

STEP 8.

Fold the top corner downward and unfold.

STEP 9.

Unfold the side corners.

STEP 10.

Open the top layer of the bottom corner.

STEP 11.

Turn the model over.

STEP 12.

Open the bottom corner.

STEP 13.

Fold the bottom edges of the upper layer to meet the center line.

STEP 14.

Fold the bottom edges backward to meet the center line.

STEP 15.

Fold the left bottom part inward.

STEP 16.

Fold the tip inward.

STEP 17.

Rotate the model.

STEP 18.

Fold the left part downward and unfold.

STEP 19.

Expand the bottom part of the model and fold the left part inward.

STEP 20.

Expand the model again and fold the tip inward again.

STEP 21.

Rotate the model.

STEP 22.

Fold the upper layer of the right corner to the center line.

STEP 23.

Fold the right corner backward as before.

STEP 24.

Fold the first wing downward slantwise.

STEP 25.

Fold the second wing in the same way.

STEP 26.

The heron is complete!